text:
JEDDAH: A coffee institute in the Kingdom is aiming to streamline the coffee industry and capitalize on surging consumption of Saudi products, its founder has told Arab News.
The spike in interest led to the opening of the Arabic Coffee Institute, the first center of its kind in the Kingdom, which will help entrepreneurs from the region pave their way professionally. The institute was launched in Jeddah last year and is the first to be licensed by the Ministry of Culture.
According to a report by global business analysts Euromonitor International in January 2022, coffee consumption in Saudi Arabia grew by 4 percent per year between 2016 and 2021 and is forecast to increase by a further 5 percent annually up to 2026, reaching an expected consumption of 28,700 tons each year.
Although the Kingdom is best known for its traditional coffee, gahwa, which is served with dates and highlights the Saudi style of hospitality, the science behind specialty coffee has attracted hundreds of Saudis to take a step ahead in the coffee industry.
Al-Mohanad Al-Marwai, ACI co-founder and CEO, worked to elevate the institute from thought to reality. “The idea of the institute is 12 years old, but we started a few years ago. Its proof of concept is five years old,” he told Arab News.
ACI aims to develop the coffee sector by qualifying Saudi youth and enriching local talent. Al-Marwai said: “It is the first institute of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, with a special focus on training those interested in the field of coffee based on international curricula by a team of experts, researchers and trainers. We cover the whole value chain from the seed to the cup provided to the consumer and after that, including research and development.”
The institute has received endorsements from the Saudi Technical Vocational and Training Corporation and is authorized by four international coffee associations including AST, Coffee Quality Institute, the Coffee Skills Program and Specialty Coffee Association.
ACI is currently under the umbrella of Coffee Lights company, which is specialized in the operation of coffee shops, consultation, training of staff and baristas, as well as the import and export of coffee.
The ACI aims to become one of the leading international coffee organizations in the Middle East and will be launched this year in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Jazan. The institute has plans to expand to other countries in the Arab world, including the UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.
Through leading the institute, Al-Marwai offers Saudi cafes a transparent supply chain of authentic specialty coffee to be served to the public. Over the past 12 years, Al-Marwai has founded eight companies in Saudi Arabia, Uganda, the UK and the US.
“There are only 30 certified coffee instructors distributed among the Kingdom. ACI has 13 of them — most of which have been trained at ACI, At a world level, there are only around 3,000 Certified Q Graders, of which ACI has 4,” Al-Marwai said. CQIs are professionals skilled in the sensory evaluation of coffee quality.
“With over 2,000 trainees enrolled, within 2023, ACI aims to receive 50,000 trainees as we have more than 70 courses of international standards to offer,” Al-Marwai added.
The institute offers accredited, customized and online training courses, as well as institutional solutions and consultation services. Courses cover brewing, barista and sensory skills, as well as coffee farming and roasting.
Speaking of coffee roasting as one of the integral aspects in the world of specialty coffee, Al-Marwai said it is just “the tip of the iceberg.” There are many sensitive skills, standards and operations behind roasting coffee that should be acquired before rushing into the business as it costs a whole crop, he added.
“We don’t just teach roasting as a technical skill, we teach roasting as a business to make sure that trainers succeed and make money,”Al-Marwai said.
Under his leadership is Ash Cafes and Roastery in Jeddah, a place known for its high-quality coffee and appealing ambiance, and which was also listed recently by the Ministry of Tourism as one of the top five cafes in the region.
After only one year of launching the institute, a series of significant partnerships and MoUs were signed with the government and private sectors seeking to enable Saudi youth to contribute economically and achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Last year, in line with the goals of the Culinary Arts Commission, the Ministry of Culture, the Saudi Coffee Company under the umbrella of the Saudi Coffee Year 2022 and ACI signed a cooperative agreement with Community Jameel to launch a program to develop the coffee sector with the aim of qualifying Saudi youth in the industry.
ACI also signed an array of partnerships with Al-Hokair Group, the Saudi Coffee Company, Bunyan and the University of Prince Mugrin to accommodate different coffee-related aspects such as education, hospitality training, development of standards and metrics, research and development, and more.
The institute took part in the first “Coffeethon,” a technical challenge that was conducted in Riyadh for six days in December. The event highlighted the framework of the coffee production chain and devised projects to serve the industry.
Recently, ACI signed an agreement with Jazan Chamber to implement several development and training programs in the region’s coffee industry and support coffee farmers.
The institute is also planning to launch a coffee magazine to highlight the latest trends in the industry for the Saudi community.


text:
Apple updated the iPad Pro earlier this year to include the powerful M1 chip from its Mac line of computers. It is expected to bring unseen massive power boosts to the iPad line. However, the iPad Pro still can’t do much apart from all the ‘iPad things’ and run some professional apps such as LumaFusion.
The hope is that over the next couple of years, Apple will bring powerful ‘Pro grade’ apps to the iPad or just basically allow Mac apps to be run on the iPad Pro. The M1 Macs – the MacBook Air, the base model 13” MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and the 24” iMac – all are capable of running iPad and iPhone apps. However, the vice-versa is not possible, as Apple does not allow Mac apps to be run on the iPad or the iPhone.
Dear Apple, please bring Mac apps to the iPad
It would be ridiculous to run Mac apps on the iPhone and as a result, nobody is looking forward to such a thing happening anytime in the near future at-least. However, the iPad is almost a laptop with a touchscreen and it should be able to run Mac apps. The iPad Pro also supports the use of Magic Keyboard which almost makes the iPad Pro (or even the iPad Air) a laptop.
The new iPad Pro with M1 starts at the same $799 (USD) price tag for the 11” model whereas the 12.9” iPad Pro now starts at $1,099 compared to $999 for the previous generation. The increase in price is expected to be because of the new Mini LED in the 12.9” iPad Pro. It is believed that the new display technology is expensive compared to the traditionally used LCD technology in iPads. The 11” iPad, however, continues to use an LCD display which is why the price of the product has not been increased.

domain: news


text:
Latest Detroit Tech
An inventor has proposed creating a bartender drone that could remotely make and deliver drinks.
Prospective business owners have just one more week to apply for a $50,000 grant from Hatch Detroit to open a new business.
Information technology companies from across Detroit are providing eight weeks of training in soft and hard skills in the IT industry with a job waiting for them upon completion.
Looking to get off the grid? Google offers tips on how to blur out your home on Google Street View.
Virtual currencies may be gaining in popularity, but the Michigan attorney general warns there are risks associated with these forms of payments.
Automation Alley is seeking developers to spend 24 hours creating a new mobile app for the Detroit Public Library.
Technology developed by General Motors and NASA for a robot on the International Space Space Station may have uses on Earth.
AT&T is hiring for nearly 100 positions throughout Michigan.
Backyard barbecue chefs have a virtual resource at their fingertips this Fourth of July with the Grill Us telephone hotline and virtual grilling helplines.


text:
Bob Evans Farms Inc. is giving more work to one of its biggest suppliers – itself.
The restaurant chain and foods producer, in a bid to improve restaurant operations and keep its food facilities running at capacity, will put more of its own products in its 565 namesake restaurants.
“We believe there is an opportunity to at least double the product volume currently in-sourced to our restaurant from our food business,” CEO Steve Davis told securities analysts June 6.
Columbus-based Bob Evans Farms always has supplied its restaurants with a variety of items. The business began as a sausage-maker and founder Bob Evans opened the original restaurant in Rio Grande to create a place to sell his patties and links.
“There is an opportunity to do more with our own products,” said Scott Taggart, vice president of investor relations. “Not many restaurants have that capability.”
Taggart declined to disclose in-sourcing sales, but the company expects food product sales to rise 8 percent to 14 percent to between $340 million and $360 million in fiscal 2013 driven by new products and the increased food service work.
Food products sales stood at $314.7 million in Bob Evans Farms’ most recent year, ended April 27, down 1.6 percent from $320 million.
Consider the company’s signature sausage gravy.
Davis said the company now is using what it calls one-step sausage gravy. Rather than mixing batches at restaurants, sausage gravy is produced in the plants and arrives at the restaurants to be heated and served.
“It pushes prep further into our supply chain,” he said.
Taggart said soups and side dishes could be shifted from restaurant kitchens to automated lines.
The in-sourcing initiative, he said, takes on the company’s two biggest costs – labor and food. And controlling food costs has become particularly important because prices are skyrocketing for sows sent for slaughter for sausage processing.
The company has been working on improving production and distribution operations for three years, including adopting lean manufacturing principles, reconfiguring its shipping network and consolidating production to step up efficiency.
“The principle is to improve plant utilization,” Taggart said. “We want more throughput to our plants.”
Bob Evans Farms operates five food production facilities and a prep kitchen for its 115-restaurant Mimi’s Cafe chain, making many menu items such as muffin mix, soups, sauces and dressings.
The company is expanding its Sulphur Springs, Texas, production plant to make more sides and ready-to-eat products.
Will Slabaugh, analyst at Stephens Inc., praised the strategy.
“It definitely could save them some money,” he said. “They’re taking a deep look at improving the cost of sales.”
Feeding each other
More use of in-sourced products better shields the company against supplier price increases and makes forecasting and budgeting easier, Taggart said. Developing more in-sourced products also will cut down preparation time at restaurants, lets the company make the most of batching, reduces waste and keeps the taste of products consistent.
And less work in restaurant kitchens spells labor savings. It also could lead to restaurant design changes because less work means less preparation space and less equipment needed.
Davis said that is important as the company remodels its restaurants and builds dining spots. Finding space and cost savings, he said, would let the company refocus on areas of its operations that customers experience, such as dining rooms and retail space.
That all plays into Bob Evans Farms’ plan to expand its restaurant network. The chain grew by two restaurants last year, its first net increase in years, and it expects to open 10 restaurants this year.
Its retail food products are sold in every state, but the restaurants operate in just 19 of them. Arkansas was added to the network last year.
“Historically, when Bob Evans’ restaurants open in a new market outside the current regional footprint, it was burdened with establishing brand awareness with a population who had not encountered the brand previously,” Davis said. “However, with our presence on grocery shelves throughout the country, our brand often is already known and admired.”
That familiarity goes both ways, Taggart said. Not only do sausage and sides establish a beachhead for the company, but in-store sales also get a boost when restaurants arrive in a new market.


text:
Love Island star Mike Thelassitis has reportedly made over £1million since his time on the ITV2 reality show last year.
Mike, who was branded ‘Muggy Mike’ after his failed attempt to woo our very own new! columnist Olivia Attwood on Love Island last summer, is said to have made more than just a quick buck since his time on last year’s show.
Insiders close to Mike, 24, told The Sun Online: "Mike might seem thick but when it comes to money he isn't muggy at all and wants to really be sensible with everything he has made off the back of Love Island."
Since the TV star’s time on Love Island, Mike has apparently been inundated with offers – and we’re not talking about the lady kind (well, that too).
The source continued: "Mike is inundated with numerous television offers since Love Island and has been cashing in on his bad boy reputation."
After Love Island 2017 winners Kem and Amber’s break-up announcement back in November, as well as Olivia and Chris’ recent split, Mike has quite clearly been steering clear of relationships and concentrating on raking in the money.
"The majority of the Love Island cast are running around getting engaged and splitting up but Mike has quietly been banking the cash making loads of PAs at nightclubs across the UK", said the source.
"He’s also secured numerous photo shoots and online promotions for men’s fashion companies."
Over the past six months, not-so Muggy Mike has been using his genetically bless face to model for Boohoo, as well as being paid to promote other clothing companies on social media like Fresh Couture, Pretty Little Thing and James Carter.
Let’s not forget his current and arguably unsuccessful stint on E4’s Celeb’s Go Dating, where he’s admitted to only putting in 20 per cent effort with his dates.
The former footballer might be struggling to find love but he certainly hasn’t been struggling on the money front.
Going on lots of dates and earning at the same time? We think he’s on to a winner here.


text:
To say that the writing hasn't really been on the wall means that you really haven't been paying attention to Nokia
. Though the company still holds on to the "biggest in terms of global market share" award, Nokia has recently come under fire for not producing adequate rivals to the iPhone and a host of Android
phones that currently lead the market in terms of smartphone allure.
Best on a new report in the Wall Street Journal, Nokia is currently searching for a new CEO. That's right. A search for a new chief executive has been launched, but of course the company isn't responding to the rumors. But it's no surprise, really. The company's current CEO has made no apparent attempts to catch up with Apple
, HTC, LG and Samsung in the smartphone market over the past few years, and Nokia is essentially a has-been in America. Basically, if you aren't getting with the program in the smartphone department, you're out of touch.
Another of Nokia's issues has been Symbian. It's an aged operating system, and while newer versions are in the labs, iOS 4 and Android 2.2 are out now. The company has lost a lot of mind share over the past few years as well, and while we are certain it's not all Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo's fault, he's definitely going to be first to take the blame. One unnamed source said that the company "is serious about making a change." Will it happen prior to the company's Nokia World conference later this year? Only time will tell, but with earnings coming up, we wouldn't be shocked.


text:
Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 Launched in India| Spec and Price detailed
Mercedes-Benz India has finally launched its global portfolio and luxury sedan CLA-Class in India starting at Rs 31.5 lakh. The car is positioned below the recently launched C-Class and will cater to the entry luxury car segment in the country.
Mercedes has launched three variants — the CLA 200 CDI priced at Rs31.50 lakh, the CLA 200 Sport priced at Rs35 lakh and the CLA 200 CDI Sport priced at Rs35.90 lakh
The appeal for the Mercedes-Benz CLA starts with its styling. The car has a curved body that tapers out into a coupe-style rear end. CLA 200 has an A-class inspired face, coupe-like low roofline and frameless doors. The panoramic sunroof ensures a particularly bright and welcoming ambience in the interior. It also comes with LED daytime running lights with B-Xenon headlamps.
One the inside, Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 sports a new generation multimedia system which adorns the big screen on the dash offering apps such as Mercedes-Benz Radio. It also has onboard web browsing via phone hotspot, a navigation system, premium Harman Kardon music system and a reversing camera. It gets six airbags as standard.
CLA 200 comes in two engine options, petrol and diesel, each with a turbocharger, both of which will be paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 2.0-litre petrol engine delivers 184PS and 300Nm of torque and is available only in the Sport variant. The 2.1-liter diesel engine delivers a power output of 135PS and similar torque. Both the Sport and the Style variants can be opted for with the diesel engine.
Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 will compete with the new Audi A3 and the upcoming BMW 1 Series sedan.
Prices for the Mercedes-Benz CLA 200
- CLA 200 CDI Style Rs 31.5 lakh
- CLA 200 CDI Sport Rs 35.9 lakh
- CLA 200 Sport Rs 35 lakh


text:
Blog: Africa's potential to rival Asia for sourcing
Michelle Russell | 8 May 2015
Interest in sourcing apparel from sub-Saharan Africa might be on the rise, yet the results of a new survey suggest few players currently have concrete plans to tap into its potential.
With Africa in mind, our annual management briefing brings together the views of industry experts on the continent's potential to rival Asia as an apparel sourcing hub, the benefits trade deals offer, as well as investments that need to be made in order to create a competitive industry.
And one of those competitors to Africa's potential as a sourcing hub is Asia's Myanmar. A focus on the development of locally-owned factories, however, has become an impediment to the development of the country's garment industry, one industry expert believes. He suggests the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) must take a leading role in moving the industry forward.
For sourcing executives wanting more detailed information on some of the leading apparel supplier countries, just-style has launched global sourcing snapshots. The tool drills down to provide key data for an at-a-glance overview of the industry's size, strengths and weaknesses.
Meanwhile, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) enjoyed a record year in 2014 and is surging towards its long-term objective of achieving a 30% share of global production.
A new report, however, has found that the diversity of cotton farming systems around the world rules out the development of a fixed global blueprint on sustainability.
In recent years, a growing number of retail RFID use cases have clearly demonstrated the benefits of being able to track inventory at the item level, leading to better shelf replenishment and fewer out of stocks. Su Doyle, responsible for industry solutions at US product identification manufacturer CheckPoint Systems, looks at the three driving factors for RFID adoption in the apparel industry.
In other news, fresh inspections are being carried out on a number of ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh following the powerful earthquake that shook neighbouring Nepal; just-style looked at the new technologies transforming denim production; and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a high level of labour and social compliance within the country's garment industry.
Continuing our look at what lies ahead for the apparel industry and its supply chain in 2017, the panel of industry experts consulted by just-style last week tackled likely shifts in the sourcing land...
This week our focus turns to first thoughts from a panel of industry experts consulted by just-style on the challenges and opportunities likely to face the apparel supply chain in 2017, with prospects...
Welcome back after the holiday break, and from the team here at just-style I’d like to wish all our readers a happy and prosperous New Year....
Apparel sourcing is a complex process built on a mix of location, logistics, lead-time, price, compliance, risk and reliability. And it's in a constant state of flux as retailers, brands and manufactu...
- Outlook 2017 – What next for apparel sourcing?
- $1.7bn package to boost Pakistan clothing exports
- Mexico riots hit apparel retailers and shipments
- Is China about to burst its apparel trade bubble?
- M&S clothing growth – What the analysts say
- MAS Holdings planning second industrial park
- Cambodia clothing exports at risk from Brexit
- Aéropostale to reopen 500 stores across the US
- JC Penney latest retailer to shutter stores?
- Target leads funding for mobile quality inspection
- Global apparel markets: product developments and innovations, October 2016
- Anti-odour clothing: fresh fashion for an active lifestyle
- Outdoor performance apparel 2016: A broader perspective
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Global market review of lingerie – forecasts to 2022


text:
Here's a list of the top trends at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. Our main focus is on technology that is close to production, but we also check out developments that offer a glimpse into the future.
In-car WiFi capability is becoming available on more new vehicles. Here's what you need to know about this tech trend.
Back-up cameras will be mandatory in 2018, but nearly half of new vehicles already have them. New camera uses are on the way, too.
Use this Edmunds Tech Checklist to determine if a car's Bluetooth system works well with your phone and has the features you want.
Articles on Bluetooth and music player integration, audio systems, telematics and in-dash navigation. They explain what you need to know about the technologies before you buy a car.
Read road tests and reviews of latest car-related smartphone apps.
Articles on factory and aftermarket car audio systems and reviews of systems you'll find in new cars.


text:
Reading time: ~2 m
Fashion house Balenciaga, founded in 1919 by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, began accepting payment in cryptocurrency.
So far, this innovation will affect only retail outlets in the United States, in particular, the brand has already implemented crypto payments in its flagship stores on Madison Avenue in New York and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, as well as on balenciaga.com.
While the organization chooses a provider of payment solutions, but it is already known that currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum are accepted for payment.
As for the volatility of cryptocurrency prices, the company stated that “Balenciaga thinks of cryptocurrency as part of a long-term strategy, and fluctuations in the value of the currency are nothing new.”
This month, the watch brand, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, also gave its customers the opportunity to pay with one of 12 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Ethereum. Payment processing is handled by the BitPay processor.
#Fashion #house #Balenciaga #added #payments #bitcoins #ethereum


text:
Bookmark Sign up for the Hot Topics newsletter for hot style and sex tips We have more newsletters Telling someone they have a big mouth…
People will now be able to go to local chemist shops to get their vaccine pass as demand soars ahead of the new traffic light Covid protection framework being introduced next week.
The Ministry of Health says it has issued more than two million My Vaccine Passes and, with demand continuing to grow, has now released additional options for people to obtain their My Vaccine Pass.
It includes adding more calltakers on its helpline, a postal option and over-the-counter at 400 pharmacies across New Zealand.
It comes as call centres face unprecedented demand, with 70,000 calls alone received yesterday on the ministry’s 0800 number.
“More than 50 per cent of people in New Zealand that are fully vaccinated have now received their My Vaccine Pass. The new online system we built for my Vaccine Pass has worked incredibly well with these volumes,” said the ministry’s national digital services group manager Michael Dreyer.
“We are expecting a lot more requests in the coming days online, however it has been our call centres that have faced unprecedented demand with higher volumes experienced than vaccine bookings.
The fastest option to get a My Vaccine Pass is online but for those people who need extra assistance, three call centres were now operating with extended hours.
“In addition to postal and online generation of the passes, we are rolling out an option for people that prefer to deal with someone face-to-face.
“Over the next couple of days, customers will be able to go to a pharmacy and request their My Vaccine Pass.
“Nearly 400 pharmacies around the country currently providing Covid-19 vaccinations will now also be able to assist people with getting a vaccine pass,” said Dreyer.
The priority of pharmacies was to dispense medicines but they were ready to assist people who did not have internet access or would prefer this option, he said.
Customers were asked to continue to be patient as staff at call centres and pharmacies did their best to assist with queries and help people generate their My Vaccine Pass.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
Everyone is getting pretty excited for the summer now that restrictions are starting to lift and the weather is starting to get a load better, but sadly there are a couple of obstacles that may get in the way of the white boy summer that we all deserve.
Featured Image VIA
Firstly there’s the spectre of the Indian Covid variant lurking in the background and now it’s been revealed that there’s also a shortage of 99p flakes just as ice cream season is about to kick off. Cadbury’s supplier Mondelez is claiming that the shortage is due to an unexpected surge in demand:
We are seeing a recent increase in demand for our Cadbury 99 Flake in the UK and Ireland that we had not expected.
The product is still available to order and we’re continuing to work closely with our customers.
Thanks for that statement – really helpful. Meanwhile, Paddy O’Donnell said that his business Clarmac had already sold more Flakes this year than they had in the whole of last summer and was worried that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand:
I’m lucky to have some stock left.
They are impossible to get at the moment but there is word they will be coming out in dribs and drabs.
It is the first time I heard of a shortage like this.
Me too to be fair Paddy. Not really sure if this is going to ruin my summer that much as I can’t even really remember the last time I had a 99 flake, but I suppose if I see an ice cream van selling one this summer then I’ll have to pick one up. Great reverse marketing.
For more of the same, check out this woman who licked an open tub of ice cream and then put it back in the fridge. What an awful person.


text:
|Day Low/High||57.28 / 58.20|
|52 Wk Low/High||46.09 / 61.58|
Jim Cramer's plan for getting through the heart of earnings season next week.
Ericsson's earnings are extremely positive for our Nokia investment thesis and set the stage for a favorable report from Nokia next week.
Online media site known for listicles and viral posts moves to curb costs according to published reports Wednesday.
Parent company of Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch and other popular media brands axing 800 workers.
Think of the car as a land-based drone that could weigh 5,000 lbs instead of 5 lbs, bringing a giant probe into society, placing it within yards of almost every residential and commercial building in America.
Imagine a world where virtual and remote objects can be manipulated as if they were sitting on a nearby table. That is the promise of fifth generation wireless.
But I am still inclined to think a pullback would see another push upward.
This is an opportunity for income investors to collect a meaningful dividend yield as network companies launch their 5G networks.
Jim Cramer says Netflix serves as a reminder to all investors exactly how powerful the subscriber business is.
Jim Cramer takes a closer look at IBM, Nike, Newmont Mining, U.S. Silica Holdings, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, CenturyLink, Exxon Mobil and more.
While 5G brings promises of cutting-edge services, more basic network improvements will likely arrive sooner, reveals talks and presentations at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.
The Cat S48c delivers premium battery life and best-in-class rugged credentials for every demanding environment
Posturing has already begun ahead of the consumer electronics show, as NVDA talks up its new gaming chip.
It's likely that investors will be closely watching the U.S.-China trade talks to see if the skies brighten longer term.
Jim Cramer talks about the Fed, and outlines your game plan.
Stocks turn slightly higher on the first trading day of 2019 following weaker-than-expected manufacturing data from China.
Dow Theory presents tips for surviving a bear market, some top year-end stock bargains and a simple strategy for monthly income.
Stocks ended higher Monday on the last day of the worst December since 1931 for the Dow and the worst year in a decade.
U.S. stock futures are rising sharply on the last trading day of 2018, after Donald Trump tweets that 'big progress' is being made in trade talks between the U.S. and China; Amazon reportedly is planning an expansion of Whole Foods stores; Verizon and Disney avoid a Fios blackout.
ESPN and other Disney content was to be cut from Fios TV by Dec. 31.
Disney has been running ads warning Fios customers they could miss the Rose Bowl if an agreement isn't reached.
Net neutrality is back in the news, and it's about to change your life.
U.S. stock futures pull back sharply on Thursday, a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average records its largest daily point gain in history; some economic data won't be issued because of the government shutdown, which has entered its sixth day; JPMorgan to pay $135 million in a settlement with the SEC.
Pundits say privacy is under assault, while politicians claim new regulations and walls around existing violators will help. They are both wrong, and one company in particular could benefit from changes.
And we should come back down again after any rally.
Focus on high-quality dividend payers as we move toward a possible yield-curve inversion and U.S. recession.
Verizon falls Wednesday after Morgan Stanley downgrades shares of the telecommunications giant to equal weight from overweight.
Google, Verizon and Tech ETF's are just some of the top stories from TheStreet.
TheStreet’s Fundamentals of Investing Course will teach you the keys to making the right decisions in any market.
TheStreet’s Personal Finance Essentials Course will teach you money management basics and investing strategies to help you avoid major financial pitfalls.
TheStreet Courses offers dedicated classes designed to improve your investing skills, stock market knowledge and money management capabilities.
Sign up to get started or log in to see your watchlist.
Enter a symbol above to add it to your watchlist.
A confirmation email has been sent to the address provided during registration. Please click on the appropriate link to confirm your email address.


text:
Billions of dollars of goods sold each year by independent merchants on Amazon.com and other online marketplaces would be vulnerable to state sales taxes for the first time if justices decide to reverse a quarter-century-old precedent in a case before the Supreme Court this week.
In the case, South Dakota is seeking to overturn a longtime precedent under which states can’t require retailers to collect sales taxes unless the companies have a physical presence in the state. While Amazon.com Inc. itself collects sales taxes on its own products, it does not on most others’ sales through its platform.
- American Eagle Outfitters:
Sign up for emails and get 10% off American Eagle promo code
Wayfair Cyber Week Coupon: 30% Off
Kohl's coupon - 30% off sitewide for Rewards members
Walmart coupon: $20 off your $50+ order
25% off your first $15 order with this DoorDash coupon
Up to 60% OFF - Target Promo Code


text:
No doubt, every year, months before the actual launch, the rumors about the next iPhone or Apple product start spreading on the internet without fail, hence, the year 2020 too is no different. The products will be launched later this year with a new design scheme and internals upgraded. Bloomberg’s new leaked information has interesting claims, detailed Apple’s product roadmap for the year and what to expect from the upcoming iPhone.
Design inspired by iPad Pro
As per Bloomberg’s report, Apple will redesign the chassis of the iPhone 12 Pro to make it resemble quite a bit to the iPad Pro. Bloomberg claims that the phone will have flat screen, while Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo in his original report claimed that the screen would be slightly curved
Specifications and features
The report says, there will be two iPhone 12 Pro models. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will also house the new LiDAR augmented reality (AR) sensor scanner seen on the latest iPad Pro introduced in 2020. The phones offer three camera lenses, while there may be two other affordable iPhone 12 models that will house two lenses. It is yet to know whether the scanner will add on to the three cameras already existing or replace any one of those. Reports also mention that finally this year, the ‘Max’ variant of the iPhone 12 Pro, along with a smaller notch, will have a bigger screen than the 6.5-inch display on the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
It further adds that the design of the new iPhones will also be inspired a bit by the iPhone 5 and there will be new chipset found on all the new iPhone 12s which will help improve performance as well as capability of new iPhones to handle AR and AI tasks. We also have information that these new products are expected to launch later this year, around the months of September-October.
Bloomberg claims about other products, that there will be a smaller, cheaper HomePod coming this year, along with a new MacBook Pro, Apple TV, iMac, and an entry-level iPad.
Read More News Related To Gadgets Click Here


text:
17.6 million TV households in Germany received HD television at the end of 2014 – an increase by 24% within 12 months (2013: 14.2 million).
The share of HD households among German TV households now amounts to 45%. From the HD households, the largest part are DTH satellite households (10 million), followed by cable (6.6 million) and IPTV (1 million).
The total number of HD households rose from 18.1 to 18.2 million, resembling a market share of 47%. Thus, for the first time, the majority of DTH households are HD households.
The number of cable households increased from 16.85 to 16.9 million (market share 44%). DVB-T reaches 2.2 million households (market share 6%) while 1.5 million households (market share 4%) have opted for IPTV.
The figures are taken from the TV Monitor 2014 for which market research institute TNS Infratest interviewed 6,000 households on behalf of satellite operator Astra. The figures refer to the main TV reception device, usually the large TV set in the living room.
A strong increase is predicted for the new Ultra HD format. Around 220,000 Ultra HD TV sets were sold in Germany by the end of 2014, according to GfK Retail and Technology. The market researchers expect another around 750,000 Ultra HD TV sets to be sold in Germany by the end of this year.


text:
WWDC has come around again. What new features can we expect to see in the upcoming versions of watchOS, tvOS, macOS and iOS? Would we get new Mac machines? Stay tuned to the latest as we report live from San Jose, California.
Have feedback on the article for the editorial team? You can reach out to them here.
How to get your favorite apps on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro in 100 seconds
HWM + HWZ Tech Awards 2020
Take your productivity to the next level with the ASUS ScreenPad Plus.


text:
Feb. 3: Economic Forecast
Economic leaders to provide insights during panel discussions at Clayton Hall
4:17 p.m., Dec. 1, 2014--The 2015 February Economic Forecast will bring experts on business and economics to the University of Delaware.
Presented by UD’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics in partnership with Lyons Companies, the forecast will feature prestigious speakers from a variety of backgrounds.
June 5: Blue Hen 5K
June 6-9: Food and culture series
The event will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in Clayton Hall. Panelists will include:
- James Bullard, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis;
- Jay Bryson, managing director and global economist for Wells Fargo; and
- Michael K. Farr, president of Farr, Miller and Washington LLC and author of The Arrogance Cycle.
Jon Hilsenrath, chief economic correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, will moderate the panel discussion.
There is no charge to attend but seating is limited. Those interested are asked to register here.


text:
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS CONGRATULATE DORIS LESSING, ITS NOBEL PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR
New York (11 October 2007): Following the announcement today from the Swedish Academy that Doris Lessing is winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature, her publisher HarperCollins offered its congratulations to one of its most recognised authors.
Jane Friedman, President and CEO HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, said: "This is such wonderful news. She is a publishing icon for women of all ages."
Victoria Barnsley, CEO and Publisher of HarperCollins UK added: “This is a much deserved and long overdue recognition of one of Britain’s greatest writing talents. Doris has been at the heart of HarperCollins literary output for almost 20 years and I’m delighted that her enormous contribution to literary life has been so justly rewarded.”
Just 11 days short of her 88th birthday, Lessing is the oldest person to be awarded the prize which celebrates her cannon of literature compiled in more than fifty years of writing, covering feminism, politics and her youth in Africa.
During her writing career Lessing has penned more than 40 books of fiction and short stories as well as essays, memoirs and her autobiography. Her most recent novel, The Cleft was published by HarperCollins earlier this year.
Lessing joined HarperCollins Publishers in 1989. Since then it has published all her new writing, including her two part autobiography in 1994 and 1997, alongside re-issuing her best known backlist titles such as her 1950 debut novel,The Grass is Singing, and her seminal work, The Golden Notebook.
She has previously been awarded the Dupont Golden Pen Award and the Companion of Honour from the Royal Society of Literature; she now takes the ultimate accolade of Nobel Prize for Literature, joining such literary luminaries as J.M. Coetzee, Seamus Heaney, John Steinbeck, Boris Pasternak and Albert Camus.
020 8307 4133
About HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children's Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world's foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.
# # #


text:
These Will Be the Most Popular Travel Destinations in 2018, According to Airbnb
You might be surprised by what Airbnb's data predicts.
The travel industry has been thoroughly shaken up over the past 20 years. Travel agencies, for the most part, gave way to travel sites. Hotels may still be the most prominent form of lodging for the conventional traveler, but online hospitality services like Airbnb are not far behind. And when it comes to travel destinations, people are opting for the ones less-traveled-to.
Airbnb recently composed their Travel Trend Forecast for 2018 using booking data from their site. Based on upticks, percentage-wise, in bookings, these are Airbnb’s predicted top 10 most popular travel destinations of 2018, including some of the most populous cities on Earth:
- Gangneung, South Korea – 2175%
- Bournemouth, UK – 353%
- Edmonton, Canada – 284%
- Indianapolis, IN – 256%
- Da Nang, Vietnam – 255%
- Columbus, OH – 254%
- Gazimagusa, Cyprus – 234%
- Bilbao, Spain – 234%
- Hanoi, Vietnam – 212%
- Matinhos, Brazil – 209%
The number one spot may not have rung a bell 15 years ago, but this February, it will sit firmly in the spotlight. Gangneung is a coastal South Korean city right next to Pyeongchang, the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Number 13 on the trending destinations list was Minneapolis, Minnesota, the host city of Super Bowl LII.
When it came to the most popular cities to travel to, the usual suspects seemed to continue to reign supreme in terms of sheer booking volume:
- New York City
In the U.S., there has been a major surge in midwestern travel (Indianapolis, IN—256%) and when it came to the neighbors to the north, the Canadian Rockies (Edmonton, AB—284%) have been particularly hot as of late. In Europe, Asia, and South America, some of the hottest destinations were Matinhos, Brazil (209%), Guangzhou, China (190%), and Bournemouth, U.K. (353%).
If you aren’t particularly statistically inclined, listen to some travel experts—these are the top 10 places you need to go in 2018.


text:
The stores would be branded F&F, after the supermarkets own label fashion range Florence & Fred.
The supermarket chain is said to have already looked at site locations on London’s Oxford Street and High Street Kensington.
Tesco consultant Terry Green told Retail Week magazine: “We’re looking for a store in the West End as a flagship for F&F. It will be a one-off to showcase the brand and complement our online and supermarket offer.”
However, a Tesco spokesperson has denied that it has “specific” plans to launch an F&F branded venture in the UK.
Tesco says: “We’re always looking for new development opportunities but we have no specific plans for an F&F store in the UK.”
The move would mirror rival Asda’s attempts to open a chain of standalone stores for its George clothing range. Asda closed its 11-strong chain of George stores in 2008.


text:
To our readers The Olympian digital news subscriptions now available.
In addition to the news you read in the printed edition of The Olympian, our journalists break news throughout the 24-hour news cycle online at theolympian.com, whether new stories or developments on continuing stories. The Olympian is now offering subscription packages for access to our digital news.
At theolympian.com you can find popular blog reports including the Politics Blog, South Sound Sports and This Just In. The Olympian's online coverage includes video, photo galleries and databases not available in print, as well as the opportunity for readers to weigh in on civic affairs through our online comments.
Our digital offerings include the e-edition replica of the printed newspaper, available on multiple devices, and various tablet and smartphone applications, as well as news alerts delivered directly to your email.
Newspaper websites around the country have begun charging readers for access to news during the last couple of years. At theolympian.com, print subscribers will continue to have free digital access until their current subscription renews. Regular digital readers who do not already subscribe will be asked to do so. Introductory pricing starts at $2.50 per month.
Go online to theolympian.com/plus to check subscription packages and pricing.


text:
It will work as an archive of TV shows available after they have fallen on broadcasters’ own catch-up platforms, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.
The service will set back viewers £5.99 per months in HD when it is launched between October and the end of December.
Shows like Love Island, The Office and Gavin & Stacey will be available.
The BBC says it expects to get permission from Ofcom to keep new shows on iPlayer for a year as standard.
But in addition to fresh shows, it will serve as an archive to British classics.
BBC director general Tony Hall said: “These are exciting times for people who love quality TV.
“Importantly, these shows will be truly British, showcasing our culture and telling distinctive stories."
Britbox was launched in North America in 2017, boasting 650,000 subscribers who tune in to the likes of Only Fools and Horses.
ITV chief executive, Carolyn McCall, said it was “exceeding its targets”.
She said: "Subscription video on demand is increasingly popular with consumers who love being able to watch what they want when they want to watch it.
"They are also happy to pay for this ease of access to quality content and so BritBox is tapping into this, and a new revenue stream for UK public service broadcasters.
"ITV and BBC have made, and continue to make, the programmes that both reflect and shape British culture and creativity.
"We now look forward to working together to launch the largest collection of British boxsets ever - bringing the very best in past, present and future British programming and award-winning content to viewers all in one place.
"We are already working together on BritBox in the US and Canada and this is proving to be very successful, exceeding its targets.
"We are committed to making BritBox UK a great success. Discussions continue with other content and distribution partners and we are looking forward to making further announcements in the coming months."


text:
The BBC Reports that the proportion of UK firms reporting a cyber-attack has jumped, despite most businesses admitting they are under-prepared for breaches.
Hiscox insurance surveyed more than 5,400 small, medium and large businesses across seven countries, including the UK, Germany, the US, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain.
The headline finding is that 55% of UK businesses had faced an attack in 2019, up from 40% last year, but almost three-quarters of firms were ranked as “novices” in terms of cyber readiness.
They concluded that many businesses incorrectly felt that they weren’t at risk.
The cost of cyber attacks is also going up, average losses from breaches soared by 61% from $229,000 (£176,000) to $369,000.
Gareth Wharton, head of Cyber at Hiscox, is concerned that the comparatively low budgets for cyber security spending could be driven by the large number of small businesses in Britain.
Smaller companies may feel like they won’t be targeted, as we tend to only read about large breaches in the press. If they incorrectly feel that they won’t be targeted, they may be less likely to spend on cyber security.
Back to News


text:
Marvel, a company which is beloved by billions around the world is currently owned by Disney. Disney purchased out Marvel for $4 Billion and in return they gained all movie rights, all comic book rights, merchandise rights and so on. This deal has already panned through for Disney with the earnings from all the movies & various other products sold.
On the television side of things Marvel hasn’t been able to do as well as Detective Comics (DC). Fortunately for Disney, Netflix picked up the character of “Daredevil” for a Netflix original series & its results in utter fame. It’s now one of the most popular Netflix shows ever released, beating out the likes of Sense 8 and Bloodline. Due to the mass success of this television program on Netflix there are going to be dozens of new characters introduced into the series. One of the most recent revealed is “The Punisher”, being played by Jon Bernthal from The Walking Dead (Shane Walsh). There are other characters being introduced include Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist. The other characters to be introduced haven’t been revealed as of right now. No information about these future shows have been announced either.
Each of these characters will also be getting their own television series from now to 2019. That is most likely the reason as to why they’ve been announced and as to why no one else has been announced. We shall keep you up to date on any new information revealed regarding the Daredevil Netflix television series.


text:
Cisco Systems, Inc. reported its second quarter results after the market closed on Wednesday. They beat analyst expectations with sales of $11.6 billion sale ($50 million better). This was a drop from $11.8B in the year ago period. They also beat on the bottom line with net income of $2.35 billion, or 47 cents per share. This was still a drop from $3.15 billion, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier.
The best growth came in the security business, which offers firewall protection and breach detection systems, where revenue rose 14 percent to $528 million.
“We are pleased with the quarter and the continued customer momentum as we help them drive security, automation and intelligence across the network and into the cloud,” said CEO Chuck Robbins.
“This quarter we announced our intent to acquire AppDynamics which, combined with Cisco’s networking analytics, will provide customers with unprecedented insights into business performance. We will remain focused on accelerating innovation across our portfolio as we continue to deliver value to customers and shareholders.”
Both revenue and earnings are being guided down for Q3. Clearly, competition from Juniper and Huawei, slower hardware infrastructure spending, and the high US dollar are combining to make for a more challenging future. The key success factor at Cisco has shifted from innovation to cost control.


text:
A new report now claims that Motorola will be introducing the Moto G7 in February 2019. The Moto G7 will be the successor to the last year's Moto G6. A new report coming from Portugal website which goes by the name Tudo Celular confirm the launch timeline of the Moto G7, but notably, Motorola is yet to reveal official details about the launch of Moto G7. Past reports suggest that the Moto G7 series will include four phones namely Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Play and Moto G7 Power. The report suggests that the Moto G7 launch event will be held in Brazil this is because Brazil has proved to be one of the major markets for the company in the past few years. Like the Moto G6, Motorola is also expected to bring the Moto G7 phones to India as well.
Moto G7 Launch in Early February
According to the earlier reports, the Moto G7 was said to launch during Mobile World Congress 2019 which usually happens around the end of February. In 2019, MWC is scheduled to take place between February 25 and February 28. However, this new report claims that some of the industry sources have told them that the Moto G7 will be launching in the first half of February, earlier than MWC 2018.
Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Play and Moto G7 Power Leaked Specifications
Motorola’s G7 series include four devices – Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play. The first two – the Moto G7 and the Moto G7 Plus are said to be expensive models – while the other two – which are the Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play will be comparatively cheaper.
According to past reports, the high-end Moto G7 and G7 Plus will come with waterdrop display notch which like other notched phones will include an earpiece and the required sensors. While, on the other hand, the Moto G7 Play and the Moto G7 Power will come with a traditional notch like the one in the iPhone X. On the camera front, the Moto G7 and G7 Plus are said to come with dual cameras on the back panel, whereas the G7 Play and G7 Power are said to pack single camera on the rear side.
As far as the hardware is concerned, the Moto G7 is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 660 SoC as also found inside the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 and the Vivo V11 Pro. The Motorola phone is said to be available in two variants – the base model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage and the second model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. This is for the Moto G7. The Moto G7 Plus model – as rumours suggest – will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC and also come in two variants with 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB of RAM with 64GB of onboard storage.
Leaks have also revealed details about the Moto G7 Power. They suggest that the Power model of the Moto G7 will come with a massive 5000mAh battery and be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset paired with 4GB RAM. In comparison, the Moto G7 Play is said to be powered by Snapdragon 632 which also powers the Redmi Note 6 Pro and be backed by 2820mAh battery. On the software front, all four Moto G7 series phones are said to come with Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Motorola might launch the standard Moto G7, G7 Play and G7 Power first and the Moto G7 Plus could launch at a later date in April 2019.


text:
PureWeb Reality now enables the distribution of Unreal Engine-based commercial metaverse applications with no scheduling and no minimum spend required
CALGARY, AB, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – PureWeb, the leading enterprise choice for the cloud distribution of commercial metaverse applications, is proud to announce the launch of the latest PureWeb Reality platform. Brands and businesses can now share ongoing interactive 3D experiences built on Unreal Engine without the need to predict traffic and reserve cloud computing resources in advance.
Previously, they have been required to predict traffic, reserve servers, and pay for dedicated infrastructure to stream any interactive 3D experience. That guesswork has now been eliminated.
“The PureWeb Reality platform empowers any organization to make their metaverse play today,” says James Henry, Chief Technology Officer at PureWeb. “You can now cost-effectively keep immersive 3D experiences turned on and ready for visitors at all times by only paying for streaming time, not infrastructure time. Our platform will efficiently scale up or down to accommodate the actual number of users to your experience, not on a number you’ve had to guess beforehand.”
As companies map out their metaverse strategies, they have been looking for ways to experiment in this virtual universe. By eliminating the need to predict, reserve, and pay for a set number of instances ahead of time, it makes it possible for them to easily (and cost-effectively) launch as many metaverse experiences as they want to find out what works best for them.
“PureWeb Reality enables brands to keep a 3D configurator on their website indefinitely as a lead magnet or let users browse an immersive 3D virtual showroom 24/7, 365 days a year,” says Ian Gilbert, Chief Revenue Officer at PureWeb. “For those hosting a special metaverse event with a set time frame and an expected number of visitors, our platform continues to enable them to reserve capacity in the regions of their choice, in order to ensure zero wait time for their users.”
PureWeb Reality’s unparalleled distribution platform makes it easier than ever for brands and businesses to discover and connect with new audiences in real time. Trial and error becomes more feasible because there’s no need to know when or from where users will try to access 3D models. They now have a low-risk, efficient solution to iterate on metaverse experiences while continuously accruing data on who their audience actually is, where they are, and what they want.
“A core premise of the metaverse is that it is always open and always available for visitors,” says Gilbert. “With our platform, everyone now has the freedom to share their metaverse vision, exactly as designed, whenever they want, and for as many people as possible.”
PureWeb is the enterprise choice for cloud distribution of immersive 3D metaverse applications. These applications, built in Unreal Engine or Unity, support architectural visualizations, digital twins, internal collaboration, customer engagement, and the next generation of commercial metaverse experiences.
PureWeb simplifies and accelerates the development and deployment of such applications, enabling users to access each experience through any web browser on any device.
Our platform efficiently manages cloud infrastructure and global usage, while minimizing latency and cost.


text:
Here's some more good news about Pepperidge Farm's new gluten-free version of Goldfish crackers: according to a press release from the company last week, the new snacks are made in a certified gluten-free facility.
The packaging for the product, called Goldfish Puffs, says that they are gluten free but doesn't have a gluten-free certification mark. I'm sure that makes some people nervous, but at least the company says now that they are made in a certified facility.
Pepperidge Farms isn't really pushing Goldfish Puffs to the gluten-free crowd. The press release indicates the company is marketing this to teens as a "fun reinvention of one of their favorite childhood snacks."
As I said in my previous post, I think Goldfish are a great snack for any age. I was eating the original Goldfish for about 40 years before I was diagnosed with celiac.
The company is also marketing Goldfish Puffs as healthy because they are "baked, with no artificial preservatives and offer 10g whole grains per serving."
Goldfish Puffs come in three flavors. I had already tried the Mega Cheese variety after finding it in my local Target (the only store where I've seen them) and really liked them. But the company was kind enough to send me packages of all three varieties along with the press release, so now I've tried all of them.
I have to say I liked the Cheddar Bacon flavor even more than the Mega Cheese. I'll definitely be buying more of those.
The other flavor, Buffalo Wing, is okay, but I like the other two more.
Goldfish Puffs are sold in 7-ounce packages for a suggested retail price of $2.99. The company says 2-ounce bags will also be available in convenience stores for 99 cents.


text:
At the end of every holiday season, there are winners and there are losers. Amazon was a clear winner this year, revealing spectacular fourth-quarter earnings that smashed analysts' expectations.
But another retail titan fell flat on its face. Just four days after Amazon’s earnings call, Macy’s announced it would be closing 125 stores, almost a fifth of its retail locations.
As an Amazon seller, you’re clearly on the right side of the retail divide! In this blog, we’ll cover just how well Amazon performed in Q4 and what contributed to its success. Stick around for insights into what this means for your business and how you can adapt to the changing retail landscape.
Amazon’s Q4 Earnings Recap
Amazon Earned a Round of Applause
More specifically, Amazon’s revenue grew 21% to $87.44 billion in the fourth quarter, beating even the most optimistic guidance of 11% to 20% growth.
More than half of this revenue—61%, or $53.67 billion—came from holiday sales in North America. That’s an impressive 22% jump over 2018 figures.
International sales, on the other hand, showed slower YoY growth at 14% (totaling $23.81 billion). Operating expenses for the international segment also exceeded sales, resulting in a net loss of $617 million. The company cited a 2% increase in Japanese consumption tax and the timing of Diwali, an Indian holiday that normally falls in Q4 that fell in Q3, as reasons for this.
Marketplace Sellers Overcame a Short Holiday Season
Despite having fewer shopping days to work with in 2019 because of a late Thanksgiving, Amazon sellers fared just fine.
Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky coolly explained, “The way we look at it and the way we believe it works in our business is that customers will have a holiday budget and they will spend it between generally in the middle of November [and through the holiday season]...We don't see an impact on that [when considering six less days between Thanksgiving and Christmas]. Perhaps it's a bigger issue for stores and foot traffic, but we don't notice it in our business.”
Amazon confirmed that third-party sellers:
- Sold more than 1 billion items over the holidays
- Hit double digit growth in the number of units sold YoY
Amazon didn’t release specific sales figures for its marketplace, but for some time, third-party sellers have accounted for well over half of Amazon’s sales.
Prime Membership Grew...a Lot
Despite speculation that Prime membership was approaching its saturation point, Prime membership peaked.
”We have more than 150 million paid Prime members globally now, and we mentioned that more people joined Prime in Q4 than any other quarter before,” said Olsavsky.
“Response to the one-day availability [has been] building through the year,” Olsavsky also noted, suggesting that Amazon’s huge investment in enabling one-day delivery was starting to pay off. Amazon additionally made Prime available to Brazil last September, and removed the $14.99/month fee for Amazon Fresh.
Not to mention, Prime membership now includes free two-hour grocery delivery in more than 2,000 U.S. cities and towns, according to CEO Jeff Bezos. The number of items delivered to U.S. customers with Prime’s free one-day and same-day delivery more than quadrupled in Q4 compared to last year.
Prime Day ‘19 didn’t disappoint, either. More people joined Prime on July 15, the first day of Amazon’s two-day Prime event, than on any other day in the company’s history. Almost just as many members joined the second day.
Fast Delivery Came with a Hefty Price Tag
One-day shipping, by the way, was an expensive endeavor. Back in October, the company predicted that the holiday season alone would cost $1.5 billion to support one-day and same-day delivery. Amazon spent a bit less than that in Q4, but even so, the company’s worldwide shipping costs in the fourth quarter were up 43% to $12.9 billion.
This expansion of rapid delivery is still a work in progress. Olsavsky estimated the company would escalate spending by another $1 billion in the first quarter of 2020 compared to Q1 2019. Aside from growing its fleet of vans and drivers, the company will be investing in dozens of new warehouses intended to make inventory “more local to enable local deliveries to hit the shorter cut off times.”
While most Amazon warehouses are already a whopping 100,000 square feet, Olsavsky noted, “We grew the square footage for fulfillments and transportation by 15% each over the last two years, and we look ahead and see a step-up in that this year.”
Amazon’s continued and rapid expansion of fulfillment centers may have something to do with its shipping hiccups during the holiday season. In December, Amazon took the rare step of acknowledging that “delivery promises vary and may be longer than normal” because of volume and weather issues. Amazon’s Facebook page also saw lots of posts from disappointed customers complaining of delays. Looks like this year will be dedicated to proving the reliance—not just the feasibility—of one-day shipping.
More Sellers are Tapping into Amazon Ads and Services
Amazon’s revenues from third-party seller services—the money you spend on Amazon programs like FBA—grew even faster than revenues from sales in Q4. It jumped 30% to $17.45 billion from last year’s $13.38 billion.
Olsavsky attributed the increase to “more participation of third-party sellers in our one-day delivery program.” Third-party participation was particularly strong in Q4, during which sellers shipped more than 100 million items with Prime’s free one-day delivery. This translated into greater participation in Amazon's FBA services to make one day possible (see "Key Takeaways" for how your business can ship quickly without losing money to FBA).
Ads also played a big role here. While Amazon doesn’t specifically break out income from advertising in its earnings (yet), most revenue in the company’s “other” category comes from its ad service.
“The rising competition for ad space on popular search terms put upward pressure on bids to win those placements,” noted Andrew Waber, director of insights at Teikametrics, in an exclusive interview with Zentail. This resulted in greater ad spend during the holidays. His company, which uses machine learning to help sellers multiply their ROI from Amazon ads, has seen brands vigorously defend their own branded terms from competitors. (In the future, they recommend that brands refocus on generic terms that add incremental revenue to their overall business.)
The income from Amazon's "other" category posted the biggest increase of any of the company’s business segments in Q4, jumping 41% YoY to $4.78 billion. Amazon is now the third-largest digital advertising platform in the U.S. behind Google and Facebook.
Key Takeaways for Amazon Sellers
- Audit your fourth quarter. Did your fourth quarter performance mimic Amazon’s? With third-party sellers accounting for more than half of Amazon’s sales, we’re hoping you shared the bounty of this success and experienced an influx of Amazon sales of your own. If not, let’s talk. You could be losing sales to competitors for a variety of reasons—loss of buy box, non-optimized listings, slow shipping and operations. We’ll help you diagnose the problem and refine workflows to get your business working at its best.
- Anticipate a stronger Q1 this year. Sales revenues typically drop back after the holidays, and this year will be no different—but it could be less of a drop than in previous years, given the tremendous growth in Prime membership and Amazon.com sales. Be ready to take advantage of the increased traffic on Amazon via optimized listings and a smart reordering process. If you have excess inventory left over from the holiday season, consider creating multi-unit kits to drive purchases (and sidestep competition on your listings).
- Prepare to ship faster than ever. While shipping expectations may vary by product category, it’s clear that one-day and same-day shipping are changing the way consumers shop—and how Amazon ranks its sellers. Start drafting your own plan for getting products to your customers faster. Weigh Amazon FBA fees (and common pitfalls) against the cost of fulfilling orders yourself. Or consider tapping a third-party logistics partner (3PL) to outsource shipping while retaining greater control over costs and inventory. Note that Amazon lifted its ban on FedEx in January 2020, re-opening opportunities to ship at potentially cheaper rates than Amazon’s shipping services.
- If you use Amazon FBA, keep close watch over your inventory. With Amazon expanding its warehouse network to store products closer to more consumers, your own FBA inventory may be spread across more locations. That may make it more challenging to keep adequate quantities, win the buy box in regions when there are more local resellers and/or leave you with more money tied up in inventory. In its quest to streamline the customer experience, Amazon is also accepting free returns at more than 18,000 drop-off locations in the U.S., including Amazon Hub locations, select Whole Foods Market stores and UPS. So you could experience a higher rate of returns this year. Pro tip: this is why having a modern forecasting system is critical; sellers who rely on a 30-day reordering schedule risk moving too slowly and/or repurchasing products without considering customer behaviors and trends that are unique to ecommerce.
- Consider advertising. The rapid growth of Amazon’s advertising revenues indicates that sponsored product and brand listings are increasingly prevalent in Amazon search results. MarketPlace Pulse recently reported that ads are cropping up on product detail pages, too. Test ads to continue driving traffic to your best-selling products, new listings and/or slow-moving products. Teikametrics’ Andrew Waber recommends always bidding to value and factoring in desired margin, product costs and other fees when setting your budget. He further suggests uncapping your budget for manual campaigns to ensure that you can continue capturing sales from profitable keywords.
Coming out of a great 2019 holiday season, Amazon and its sellers have every expectation of a strong 2020. Be ready to take advantage of it with strong workflows for handling increased traffic to your listings. Zentail’s COM platform offers powerful listing optimization tools and AI-powered automation to scale your operations. Contact us for more information or to speak with one of our seasoned Amazon experts.
Schedule time with a Zentail expert to see how we can transform your Ecommerce business.


text:
Omicron soured hotel recovery momentum at the end of last year, but high daily rates for U.S. hotels and groundbreakings in China offer two growth narratives amid the pandemic setback.
Editor’s Note: Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill brings readers exclusive reporting and insights into hotel deals and development, and how those trends are making an impact across the travel industry.
Hotel earnings season is here and densely packed: Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton, Choice Hotels, and Hyatt all report within a three-day span beginning Tuesday.
Third quarter earnings season was notably upbeat around the idea new coronavirus cases were coming down, and the return of business travel was just around the corner. Omicron upended that optimism over the fourth quarter, but there are still ways for these major hotel companies to show shareholders a growth story.
The U.S., despite its record-setting surge of new cases, remained open for travel. That kept hotel performance generally durable through winter and holiday travel season. Even when occupancy rates dipped, hotel owners maintained rates, or charged more, and were able to avoid a massive hit to performance during the variant surge.
Each of the companies reporting this week have a bulk of their portfolio in the U.S., so they will likely not see the negative impact that a company like Paris-based Accor — with a major European presence — faced.
Companies like Wyndham and Choice are likely to show the most resilience through the end of last year, as both do a bulk of their business in affordable brands like Days Inn, La Quinta, and Comfort that cater to drive-to and leisure travel.
Investor analyst reports weren’t necessarily expecting Marriott or Hilton to have nosedived during the fourth quarter, but it was another stretch where the convention business was deflated and large companies shied away from business travel — not exactly the best for these companies’ namesake brands and others like Hyatt Regency.
China Build-Up: China was the go-to growth story for most publicly traded hotel companies for the first 16 months of the pandemic. The country’s tough crackdown response to spikes in new cases typically involved two-week lockdowns for a given city and then a general return to recovery.
But, beginning with the Delta variant last summer, the usual two-week speed bump extended amid more cases popping up across the country. China’s zero-tolerance approach was suddenly seen as unfeasible as hotel performance ran between 40 and 50 percent below pre-pandemic levels for weeks on end. Even European hotels performed better than the former global leader for recovery.
But there is still growth spin coming out of China. The country had its highest-ever level of construction at the end of last year, according to Lodging Econometrics. The Chinese hotel construction pipeline entailed more than 700,000 rooms across 3,693 properties. By comparison, the U.S. was at nearly 582,000 rooms across 4,814 projects.
Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts — which doesn’t report until Feb. 22 — and Marriott are the three hotel companies topping the Chinese development pipeline. Even if hotel performance in China faced a setback with ongoing lockdowns in certain cities, companies want to be there and have access to the extraordinarily large domestic traveler base.
Greater China accounts for more than half of Marriott’s anticipated luxury hotel openings in the Asia Pacific region this year, according to the Daily Lodging Report.
The biggest uncertainty is whether the threat of lockdown in China for future crises has any investors deciding the risk doesn’t make financial sense to go to all the trouble of developing a major hotel project.
U.S. Hotel Deal Volume Eclipsed Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2021
U.S. hotel transaction activity was stronger than expected last year, according to a new HVS report. There was a little more than $32 billion in single-asset and portfolio sales through November — a 230 percent increase over 2020.
Sure, that’s a little unfair of a comparison given that 2020 was the worst year of the pandemic and lenders weren’t exactly rushing to green light new deals. But RCA data shows transaction activity through November was still 4 percent higher than the same 11-month stretch seen in the years leading up to the pandemic.
Recovery momentum has lenders active for deals involving existing assets, but there is still some hesitation regarding new construction projects. Occupancy levels are still below where lenders would see a need for a new hotel to get added to an area’s development pipeline. This also drives up prices for existing hotels.
“Facing the lower probability of getting projects off the ground, many investors turn their focus to acquiring existing assets, which in turn increases the size of the buyer pool,” HVS reported.
Extended Stay America Gets a New CEO
Bruce Haase is out of the top job at Extended Stay America, the extended-stay hotel brand that Blackstone and Starwood Capital jointly acquired last year for $6 billion. Greg Juceam, who most recently served as ESA’s chief operating officer, will take on the CEO job while Haase “stepped down to pursue other opportunities,” per a release on Friday.
Juceam was previously president and COO of G6 Hospitality, the parent company of Motel 6 that Blackstone also owns and is reportedly shopping around for potential buyers. The leadership shift comes as the extended stay hotel sector becomes increasingly competitive thanks to the resilience brands in this space showed during even the worst months of the pandemic.
None of Extended Stay America’s hotels shut down during the pandemic, as demand for rooms generally held. Extended stay hotels often cater to essential workers as well as guests looking for more residential stays.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch


text:
Sri Lanka’ is to be promoted as a prime wedding destination and European, Asian middle east markets are to be explored.
Meanwhile high spenders of India, Nepal, Maldives and Pakistan are also are to be encouraged to have lavish wedding parties in SrI Lanka.
Tourist board spokesperson Kamal Fernando said that exotic locations such as near Singharaja forest, cultural triangle, on beaches and in Yachts are possible locations.
Event management companies, wedding planners, photographers and, many others in the tourism industry are to gain from this venture.
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority in partnership, with Brides of Sri Lanka, a bridal magazine, Galle Face Hotels and Sri Lankan Airlines is hosting a two day wedding exhibition on February 19 and 20 to promote the idea.
‘Wedding Week 2022; will be a free of charge exhibition that will have Indian and Maldivian fashion designers presenting along with local designers as well as support services. Said Daniel Grua, General Manager of Galle Face Hotel, Sri Lanka.


text:
The new Nissan Note is the latest hybrid using a gas powered generator. Except the Note cannot be plugged in.
We've seen the new Fit in Mugen trim, and we've seen the Vezel crossover that shares its platform in Mugen trim too. But those aren't the only vehicles Honda is selling around the world based on that platform. Now the third has popped up with the Mugen treatment, too.
OK, maybe this newsflash is an obvious one to longtime green-car observers, but the folks at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon found it worth publicizing that hybrids are a lot more useful to city drivers than highway hounds.
We may love our cars, but we certainly don't spend much time with them.
Americans drivers are abandoning their full-sized vehicles for compacts. Pure electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and plug-in, gas-powered cars like the Chevy Volt are becoming more readily available as 2012 approaches – and there are several new models getting ready to join them on dealer lots. Meanwhile, manufacturers in Europe and Asia are preparing to crank out a horde of microcars so small they make the ForTwo look like a Fleetwood. For a driver interested in going green, it sure s
When Ener1 abruptly ended its four-year-long deal with Think Global, saying that its investment was "impaired," we had reason to worry. Now comes word that the struggles continue to mount at Think Global and that the automaker has filed for bankruptcy. Again.
The trouble with European cities is that most of them were laid out long before the advent of the automobile. Little wonder, then, that nearly all of them suffer from terrible traffic congestion. But which is the most jammed of all of them?
Which U.S. city is most ready for an armada of electric vehicles? Los Angeles. Where's the next-best place? San Francisco. Following these two California cities in EV friendliness are a pair of northern cities you might not associate with EVs: Chicago and New York. What makes a city EV ready, as defined by Think? It's not just the number of charging stations per capita. In a statement, Think said:
Police vehicles, city buses, garbage trucks and the like all use fuel at an alarming rate. When gas prices are as high as they are they begin to put a serious damper on city budgets. In fact, out of 132 mayors surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, ninety percent of them indicate that their city budgets have been significantly impacted by fuel prices. Mayor Douglas Palmer of Trenton, New Jersey says that tough choices are necessary, "Everything is on the table except for a reduction in publi
Th!nk UK managing director Richard Blundell said that their all-electric car could be put on sale in Australia without too much hassle. The reason? The Th!nk City, which Blundell pointed out is a real car and not a quadricycle (NEV), is designed to satisfy both EU and U. S. highway safety features and can be sold virtually anywhere. Then there are the business reasons: "Think will evaluate each market based on perceived and sustainable market demand, attractive urban center demographics and cond
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made sure everyone knew the three converted plug-in hybrids that are now a part of the municipal fleet were PHEVs by plugging them in at a ceremony on Thursday. San Francisco's new PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) were converted by Pat's Garage with funding from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and will be used by many parts of the city government including the Public Library and the Mayor's office. The city and county of San Francisco also pu
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Building_from_Minority_Report_is_being_made'; The science fiction movie the Minority Report imagines cars driving up vertical highways and parking on the side of high rise apartment buildings. Driveways just in front of your doorway are not uncommon in the suburbs but on a city high rise such a thing has never been done ... until now.
Start counting down to 2010, and while you're at it, save your Euros. No official images of VW's much discussed City Expert exist, but Germany's Focus Online has a rendering that shows what a cleverly-packaged entry level Volkswagen could look like.
A joint project to commercialise bio-hydrofined diesel (BHD), a second generation biodiesel fuel, has been announced by partners the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Nippon Oil Corporation (ENEOS), Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd. The project was developed as part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's 10 Year Project for Carbon Reduction in Tokyo designed to promote carbon reduction by private companies and citizens.
Paul Weyrich, after commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Defense Interstate Highway System, points to one possible solution to the current high gas prices: rail travel. Before the Interstate, major long-distance travel was done by railcar. The railroads crisscrossed the nation, hauling freight as well as people. Few Americans used cars even for travel within their towns, and buses had their own problems.


text:
The Reading Terminal Market hosted more visitors last year.
Last year, 6.35 million people came through the historic farmers’ market, up from 6.1 million in 2010.
Some merchants are saying that recent fair weather and the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center could help make 2012 a big year, too.
The market is celebrating its 120th anniversary, but it’s not resting on its laurels. It continues to change.
Renovations in the past year have yielded the opening of Molly Malloy’s, a brew pub, and the relocated Dinic’s, where customers lined up for roast beef and roast pork sandwiches at lunchtime recently.
A rejiggering of existing space will free up room for four to six new food merchants, said Paul Steinke, Reading Terminal’s general manager of more than a decade.
“We are looking for innovative food uses not currently represented in the market. We are mindful of our mission as an urban farmers market, so we are placing a priority on identifying local growers and producers,” Steinke said.
The market also hopes to further diversify its ethnic mix of vendors, while ensuring that its businesses are owner-operated, not franchises or chains.
Photos in this slideshow were taken on a recent day when the market was crowded with patrons getting a bite to eat before the Philadelphia Auto Show opened its doors.


text:
Ad spend as measured by media agency bookings passed pre-COVID levels in May, with about $300 million in extra investment pumped into the market, according to the latest data from SMI (Standard Media Index).
Total ad spend was up 70.8% in May compared to the same month in the 2020 pandemic year and was 4.5%, or $30.7 million, higher than May 2019
The result is based on data that’s been normalised to account for the federal election in May 2019 by removing political party category ad spend from both reporting periods.
The May data is the fourth month of ad spend growth in a row and the highest May total since 2016.
All major media reported growth in May, with television and digital back to pre-COVID levels.
"This level of growth is clearly unprecedented," says SMI AU/NZ managing director Jane Ractliffe.
"It’s safe to say that none of us will ever see such extraordinary levels of growth again.
"It’s really quite a remarkable turnaround given the disastrous results reported at this time last year.’’
Ractliffe says the strong ad demand will continue in June.
SMI’s Forward Pacings data showing the value of confirmed June ad spend (ex digital) is already 36.4% above that reported in June 2020.
Outdoor reported a 198% increase in year-on-year growth in May. The trend is continuing into June with Outdoor’s ad spend already 90% above that reported in June 2020.
The May outdoor ad spend is just $6 million below the pre-COVID May 2019.
The key Retail, Food/Produce/Dairy, Insurance and Restaurants categories all growing their media budgets above May 2019 levels.
The Travel category emerged as the fastest growing in May, with total bookings jumping $31.3 million from May 2020 levels.
The media investment by Travel advertisers went from $4 million in May 2020 to $36.3 million this month, and that total is not far off from the $44 million spent in May 2019.
"The category’s ad spend is quickly recovering to the point where it’s been restored as the market’s sixth largest category this month,’’ says Ractliffe.
Among other key SMI ad spend trends for May was the emergence of the Social Media sector as digital’s second largest for the first time.
In outdoor the Programmatic Outdoor sector broke through the $1 million/month revenue mark for the first time.
The stronger May results pushed Australian ad spend this calendar year up 20.1% on last year while the financial year-to-date results have nturned positive, up 2.9%.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
NEW DELHI: The government is all set to launch a ‘Brand India
’ mission, focused on the promotion of quality products that are manufactured in the country. The move, being piloted by the Piyush Goyal-led commerce and industry ministry, is based on similar policies in other countries, including the US, Switzerland
and France, which regulate claims made to goods produced in their jurisdiction.
The idea is linked to the extent of local production with countries such as Switzerland offering the tag to service sector companies if they are headquartered there. In case of food products, the requirement is 80% local production. Goyal’s plan, discussed with the Quality Council of India and other agencies last week, is looking at country of origin certificates, which will be voluntary with self-certification to be vetted by certain entities. It will be applicable to natural as well as manufactured goods.
To be eligible for the tag, manufactured goods producers need to be registered in India and should comply with the prescribed health and safety standards. A minimum 20% local content is being discussed with the final assembly required in India.
Sources said the entire certification process is proposed to be completed within six to 10 days of an application being filed, with monitoring expected to start after six months. Once a decision is taken, the mission can be launched in around a year with the initial plan to be tested through a few pilots.
Those who opt for the scheme may be given recognition by the government emarketplace and other platforms, preference in public purchase and other benefits, including those under trade agreements, sources familiar with the deliberations told TOI, adding that the plan is still to be firmed up.
After the recent tension with China, the government has shifted to an Atmanirbhar Bharat strategy, where it is seeking to get Indian companies to be part of the global value chain, in addition to produce for the domestic market. Along with import curbs on some products such as TV sets and tyres, the Centre
is also insisting on disclosing the country of origin of goods, especially in case of ecommerce. A host of products, from electronics to automobiles and defence equipment have been identified as potential focus areas.


text:
Improve Facebook fan engagement
Improving social media engagement is important to any online marketing campaign. A new Social Media Examiner article offered tips to increase fan interaction. Below are several ideas that may help a B2B online marketer reach their fan base better on Facebook:
1. Put a face on the business
A B2B marketer may want to use Facebook's photo albums to showcase the business' employees and underscore their hard work. This strategy may humanize the brand and compel potential customers to interact more with the B2B's Facebook page.
Marketers may also want to consider updating these pictures from time to time. According to Search Engine Land, people grow tired of seeing the same images on Facebook and crave new ones. The article refers to this as "image fatigue." To combat viewer boredom, a marketer should change their Facebook pictures and advertisements regularly to keep the pages looking fresh.
2. Invite fans to events
Another way social media marketers can increase engagement is by creating events on Facebook and inviting fans to join them. According to the Social Media Examiner article, seminars, conferences and webinars and charity events are all gatherings a B2B may want to create a Facebook invitation for to increase interaction with potential customers.


text:
September 22, 2021
Registration Open for Third Wild Alaska Pollock Annual Meeting Celebrating Surimi Seafood Specifically
SEATTLE, Wash.—The third annual Wild Alaska Pollock meeting will be held on October 27, 2021, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) announced today. The meeting, to be held virtually, will once again bring together representatives from all segments of the Wild Alaska Pollock industry, marketing experts and visionary speakers designed to challenge the status quo and inspire collaboration for tackling future challenges.
“This year’s meeting will focus heavily on evolving consumer needs and preferences with a special focus on Surimi Seafood made with Wild Alaska Pollock,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive Officer of GAPP. “Surimi Seafood has often been an unsung hero for the industry and we want to help continue to harness its star power and showcase the opportunities for surimi seafood products.”
Over the last year, GAPP has invested heavily in nationwide consumer research that concretely demonstrated that the more consumers learned about what Surimi Seafood made from Wild Alaska Pollock is, the more consumers liked it. The research further demonstrated that the more Surimi Seafood recipe ideas consumers have, the more likely they are to put a package in their shopping cart, more often.
“When effectively marketed, consumers agree, Surimi Seafood is anything but ‘imitation,’ it’s real seafood and GAPP won’t let this research just sit on the shelf. We are working with our members and partners to action this research and this meeting will be a showcase for these efforts,” added Morris.
While Surimi will be a heightened focus with speakers discussing the product’s labeling challenges, branding opportunities and influencer-led recipe development plans for the holiday season; there will also be presentations that address the opportunities and challenges for Wild Alaska Pollock in its other product forms.
“There will be something for everyone at this year’s meeting—we’ve really focused on how each presentation builds upon the last to generate robust discussion, collaboration and hopefully some ‘aha’ moments for our industry as a result,” said Morris. “It continues to be a year that’s had its ups and downs and we’ll look at how consumer trends are impacting the food and seafood spaces in particular—looking at each challenge as an opportunity for our industry.”
The event will begin at 8:00am and last until 1:00pm. Information about the event’s theme, registration, and a detailed agenda is available on the GAPP website at https://www.alaskapollock.org/about-us/events. GAPP would like to thank its current event sponsors: Trans-Ocean, UniSea, Urner Barry, R3 Consulting, Global Seas, Glacier Fish Company and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
GAPP is still actively seeking sponsors for this important event. Companies interested in sponsoring this event can contact GAPP for more information at firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
Ford India garnered a total of 5,517 units in August 2019 as against 8,042 units during the same month in 2018 with 31 per cent sales decline
Ford endured another tough month in 2019 as August saw the brand registering 31 per cent YoY decline with 5,517 units. Compared to the same month in 2018, Ford sold 8,042 units. Last month, the American manufacturer finished in ninth position ahead of Volkswagen, MG, Datsun, Nissan and Skoda with a total of 2.8 per cent market share.
The company has been reeling on the back of unfavourable market scenarios that hurt the volume sales in more ways than one. As has often been the case, the EcoSport stood as Ford’s most sold model within the domestic range. However, its usual monthly average plummeted by a big margin in recent months.
This has been due to the arrival of new competition in the form of Hyundai Venue and Mahindra XUV300 as the old benchmark could not stand toe-to-toe against the modern day rivals. The sub-four-metre was responsible for garnering 2,882 units last month as against 4,435 units during the corresponding month in 2018 with 35 per cent negative sales growth.
|Ford Models (% Change)||August 2019 Sales||August 2018 Sales|
Surprisingly, the Figo performed rather decently with 895 units while its sedan sibling, the Aspire, registered 521 units – almost similar to what it managed during the same month last year with 21 per cent month-on-month sales increase compared to July 2019. The Freestyle recorded 647 units in August 2019 with 75 per cent sales drop.
The Blue Oval retailed zero units of the Mustang last month in the domestic market while the Endeavour posted 14 per cent sales increase as 572 units were sold against 503 units twelve months ago. Ford appears to have quite a number of plans for India in partnership with Mahindra & Mahindra.
The first model spawning out of their relationship is expected to be a C-segment SUV while more sports utility vehicles are believed to be in the pipeline for the near future. The sales of the brand could improve a little bit during the closing months of the year courtesy of the discounts on offer.


text:
In the busy world of converting, industry professionals can be hard-pressed to stay on top of the most recent developments in the industry. That is why so many return each year to the Converters Expo for a concentrated show that allows them to see the latest converting technology and services.
Early Bird Registration Rates Good Through March 18
December 5, 2019
Converters Expo will once again return to Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay, WI on April 29-30, 2020 to connect converters and packagers of paper, film and nonwovens with industry buyers, specialists and suppliers.
Mica Corporation will showcase its commercial line of water-based PEI and EAA primers, along with its premiere Specialty Primer and Functional Coating products, at Converter’s Expo in Wisconsin and ICE USA in Kentucky.
From continued exhibit space expansion and attendee increases, the flagship Converters Expo returns to Lambeau Field for the popular one-day event. Two weeks later, ICE USA 2019 makes its Louisville debut.
Hot on the heels of the second-annual Converters Expo South, which was held on February 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina, comes the flagship Converters Expo. Now entering its 12th year, the event returns to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from March 27-28.
Contiweb will use the upcoming Converters Expo South and Converters Expo events to demonstrate how packaging print providers and convertors can secure production efficiencies and enhance their competitive edge using its hybrid web offset system, the Contiweb Thallo
From Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Orlando, Florida, there are three crucial trade shows happening that are relevant to converters and printers of flexible packaging. Here’s an overview of Converters Expo, FTA Annual Forum/InfoFlex and NPE.
With the return of NPE, held once every three years, in addition to spring mainstays in Converters Expo and FTA Annual Forum/InfoFlex, printers and converters have a lot to keep up with this year. Here’s a closer look at the three upcoming events.
Some lessons can be hard to learn, and COVID-19 has been one tough teacher when it comes to supply chains. We shed some light on what this taskmaster has taught us in the November issue of Flexible Packaging as well as how printers can use less ink without sacrificing quality, how advances in technology are opening up new markets for flexible, and showing you a brand that’s dear to our hearts with its flippancy. There’s more than that, though, but you’ll have to dive in to see it!